Under the Moon
by CatherineJosephineMarie007
Summary: My own AU take on everything from the third book onward. Remus Lupin/OC. Adria Malus is the temporary replacement for the Muggle Studies professor. Remus isn't the only stray student Dumbledore ever took in.
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE: Where she walks, no flowers bloom

**Author's Note: Hiya HP fans! This is a complete rewrite of something I wrote in high school, and I'm just uploading it now. I'm hoping to make it a little less Mary Sue than it had been, and to make the HP world as dark as I imagine some of it to have been.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Adria Malus and my own imagination. And the curriculum of Muggle Studies, which I made up to suit my own love of Muggles.**

**Note 2: The chapters will all be named after lyrics from songs I listened to while writing Under the Moon, as well as its sequel, which I`m working on in tandem with this. I don`t know how often I`ll update, but please leave me a note to let me know how I`m doing!**

**CJM**

Under the Moon

Adria Malus apparated into Hogsmeade with a sharp 'crack'; she hurried through the village toward the towering form of Hogwarts in the distance. She didn`t fancy being caught in Hogsmeade at night, not with Siruis Black on the loose. She shivered in the autumn air, gathering her thin black cloak tightly around her. The waning moon dimly lit her path towards the gates topped with winged boars.

Soon she was passing through the front gates and behind the magical wards that protected her favourite place on Earth. Adria's heartbeat increased as she thought about watching the Sorting Hat for the first time in almost eight years. Only this time, she smiled to herself, she'd be watching from the STAFF table.

The thestral- pulled carriages were pulling into the gate behind her, so she stopped and waited for them to catch up so she could hitch a ride. The sun had now completely set and the breeze that had been pleasant earlier in the day was now biting, reminding them all that winter was not so very far off.

In the first carriage rode a single man, too old to be a student, in a cloak more tattered than hers. His ice- blue eyes flicked to her face, but she could only meet the gaze for a moment before he turned to face the castle. The next dozen or so carriages carried silently staring first years, fresh off the row boats; their faces were a mixture of awe and nausea. Then came the chattering second through seventh years, laughing and catching up with their friends—Adria waited for the last carriage, where she spotted someone she knew.

"Luna!" she called. The blonde girl looked up from her edition of _the_ _Quibbler_. Adria had worked briefly for her father's publication, until her father found out and made her quit. Vampires did not work for "Wizard conspiracy rags".

"Adria," Luna replied with a smile. "I didn't know you would be here."

"Neither did I until about two weeks ago," Adria replied, levitating her trunk into the carriage and climbing up.

"Do you see the thestrals too?" Luna asked in her soft lyrical voice.

"Yes, I can see them." Adria replied uncomfortably, unwilling to explain exactly why she could see the skeletal winged creatures.

"I think they are quite beautiful, like a painting by Salvador Dali," Luna went on. Adria smiled; one of the common interests the girls shared was Muggle artwork, and they'd read dozens of art books during her time working in the Lovegood house.

"Indeed they are."

"Oh, look, we've arrived."

Just as she said it, the carriage lurched to a halt and students began to climb out. She got to her feet and looked for the man with pale eyes, but she didn't see him at the front of the procession.

Luna entered the castle with her fellow Ravenclaws, and Adria squeezed in between the students.

"Professor McGonagall!" she called, rushing up the staircase toward the Deputy Headmistress.

"Ah, Professor Malus," the older woman nodded in approval.

"I'm sorry I'm late, Professor; it took longer to walk from Hogsmeade than I remember."

"You're just in time, please, go on ahead. I'll be in momentarily with the first years." McGonagall gave her the barest ghost of a smile.

"Of course, I'll see you at dinner, Professor."

Adria walked on to The Great Hall; it was lit up in all its splendour, and she was so happy to be _back_. Almost everyone turned to stare at the rogue adult as she walked between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables toward Dumbledore, who stood waiting to address the students.

"Ah, Miss Malus; or should I say Professor?" the Headmaster asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"It's nice to see you again sir," Adria smiled. "Have I already thanked you for this post?"

"Only seventy or eighty times, but I will not argue if you wish to do so once more," he said wryly. "Why don't you take a seat? Mr Filch is just about to bring in the Sorting Hat."

"My favourite," she smiled making her way to the only empty seat, which was between Hagrid and Professor Flitwick.

"My dear Miss Malus!" her former Charms teacher cried happily, "What are you doing here?"

"Teaching Muggle Studies, sir," she replied.

"How lovely! I will be exceedingly glad to have you in for tea anytime you like."

"Thank you so much sir."

"You'd be right welcome in Care o' Magical Creatures, too, Miss Malus." Hagrid added.

"Care of Magical Creatures? You're teaching now, Hagrid?" she asked with a smile.

"This is me first time. I'd be glad to 'ave a helping hand."

"Thank you Hagrid. It's nice to see you again."

"An' you," the half giant nodded pleasantly.

The Sorting Hat was brought out then, and it sang its original song it wrote for the occasion. Then he sorted all the first years, to thunderous applause from every house. Adria couldn't keep the smile off her face. Finally, Dumbledore began his opening remarks. She didn't pay much attention until the Headmaster began introductions.

"I would like to introduce to you Professor Remus Lupin, who will be taking over the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts. Good luck, Professor!"

Adria stared as the man she'd seen earlier stood, hands clasped in front of him. The applause was especially loud from a group at the Gryffindor table. Adria recognized one of them from the _Daily Prophet _article two years before, joyfully reporting his return to the wizarding world; it was Harry Potter. Next to him was another boy that _had_ to have been one of Charlie Weasley's brothers. With them was a red haired girl, a gangly boy and a frizzy-haired brunette.

"And Professor Kettleburn has retired in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. In his place I have appointed our groundskeeper, Rubeus Hagrid, to the post of Care of Magical Creatures." Everyone applauded, and again the Gryffindor table's support was thunderous. Dumbledore waited for silence, then continued. "Also, I would like all of you to meet Professor Adria Malus, who will be taking on the post of Muggle Studies while Professor Burbage is away on her maternity leave."

She trembled as she stood up and smiled at the enormous crowd before sitting down hurriedly. There always seemed like less people when she was a student.

"I now have a serious announcement." Dumbledore continued. "This year Hogwarts will play host to the Dementors of Azkaban. Although they will not be permeating the grounds, I ask you not to exit the castle after dark. Give them no reason to harm you… you know, I've always found that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times; if one can only remember to turn on the light."

With that cryptic message, the Headmaster sent them all to bed. Adria had already received an owl from Dumbledore telling her she would be taking the office that had previously been Professor Kettleburn's. It was in the North tower beneath the Gryffindor common room. Knowing her trunk would be magically placed in her room when she got there, she collected her threadbare cloak and climbed the back stairs that were only for the staff. A bubble of excitement burst in her stomach and a smile bloomed on her face at that thought. _Staff._ This year at Hogwarts was going to be wonderful, she could feel it.

0oOo0

LUPIN POV

The Malus girl was ghostly pale, Remus observed as she stood for the students to greet her. She had black hair waving over her shoulders and deep brown eyes. She was skinny; not thin, skinny. Like she'd missed a few meals recently, and Remus knew what that looked like. He'd also noticed her cloak was torn in the bottom hem, and the elbows were frayed. Her long black skirt was dusty and obviously well worn. And her grey jumper was a few sizes too big. Her cool, closed lipped smile intrigued him, but he looked away soon after she sat down. Severus was watching him, and he didn't want to give the Potions Master any reason to pick at him.

When Dumbledore sent them to bed, he might have approached her had he not been corralled by Snape, his leer the exact same as it had been with they were in school.

0oOo0

Adria was stuck between the chattering Professor Flitwick and the morose Professor Snape. She could catch a bit of the Potions Master's conversation with the new Defence teacher.

"Lupin… Dumbledore… your condition…" Snape was muttering, and she tried desperately to get closer, making poor Flitwick take the stairs two at a time to keep up.

When she got to the North Tower, Adria found her new office, complete with a small brass plaque on the door proclaiming it to be hers. Inside the stone room there was a plain wooden desk and a chair, as well as a spindly looking seat for visitors. Two sets of bookshelves taller than her sat against the wall to her left, and a tall window looked out over the grounds.

Through a door to her right was her bedroom, and, as she'd expected, her trunk was at the foot of her bed. Aside from a bed and nightstand in an alcove to the left, and a wardrobe next to that, her room had a cushy green velvet settee, and a low wooden table. Each room was equipped with a fireplace and a cast iron kettle sat on the mantle. Sighing in satisfaction, Adria opened her trunk and began to unpack. She took out the tea things she'd miniaturised in order to fit them in and enlarged them to their original size. Then she enlarged her one expensive possession, a Persian rug, back to its usual dimensions, and moved the furniture so she could sit it in front of the fire. After rearranging the table and settee, she put her robes and her weekend clothes in the wardrobe, and stacked her shoes and jewelry box in the bottom. After placing the few cosmetics she owned on the nightstand, she got ready for bed and went over to the left of her alcove to explore the lavatory.

After washing her face, brushing her teeth and putting on her night gown, Adria made her way to bed, excited and nervous for her first day back at Hogwarts.

0oOo0

The next morning at breakfast, Remus Lupin was late and sleep deprived. To his embarrassment, the only empty seat was next to the new young professor. What was her name? Malus, yes that was it. Barely suppressing a pained groan, he lowered himself into his seat.

"You were on the carriages last night." She said, looking at him curiously. "Did you catch the train in London?"

"Y-Yes," Remus replied, staring at his plate. He did not want to look up and see the judgement in her eyes at a grown man not being able to find his own way to Hogwarts. _But so soon after a full moon…_

"Adria Malus," she offered her hand.

"Remus Lupin." He shook it.

"So did you live in London before you got your post at Hogwarts?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, in Marylebone. You?"

"In Belgravia, but before that outside Ottery St-Catchpole."

"It's a lovely place."

"Yes," she agreed, not sounding entirely convinced.

"Um," Remus stuttered, casting around for a topic of conversation. He tried to sound casual and failed miserably. "Are you interested in Defence Against the Dark Arts?"

"Oh yes," she grinned. "That's actually why I struck up a conversation; Defence was my top pick for a teaching position. Not to say I'm trying to run you out of your post."

"No offence taken," he assured her with a chuckle.

"I had a fair amount of talent with the subject, but I'm afraid I lack the power to ever be a fierce duelling opponent." She admitted.

Remus hesitated, but ploughed on. "Would you… perhaps like to attend my third year class this morning? We're tackling a boggart."

"Really?" she asked in interest. "Fascinating. I'd be glad to. Is that first period?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful. Then I have time to join Professor Flitwick for tea before lunch."

"Were you close to Filius when you were a student?" he asked.

"He was one of my favourite teachers, aside from Professor McGonagall, of course."

He nodded, then questioned, "Gryffindor?"

"Of course." She smirked.

"So was I." Remus nodded.

After tea and toast, Adria Malus accompanied him to his classroom.

Third years were waiting outside, the first of which was the gangly boy she'd seen the night before with Harry Potter. When Lupin unlocked the classroom people began to file in. Harry Potter and the red headed boy wandered in a few minutes after their friend.

"You must be one of Charlie's brothers," she smiled at him as he sat with his two friends in the first row.

"Uh yeah," he replied nervously. "You know my brother?"

"All of them, actually; I went to school with Bill and Charlie, and tried to be polite to Percy. What year are the twins in now?"

"Fifth." He said. "I'm Ron, by the way." They shook hands. "These are my friends Harry and Neville."

"Adria Malus. Pleased to meet you." At that moment Lupin cleared his throat to begin, and Adria backed up to lean against the waist-high bookshelves that lined the side of the classroom.

"Good morning, everyone," he began. "Welcome to third year defence. This morning, I've got a special treat for you. Professor Dumbledore wanted to take care of it, but I convinced him that it would be a meaningful learning opportunity." He and Adria shared a secretive smirk. "Everyone put away your books, pick up your wands and follow me." Ignoring the students' confused glances, he strode to the door and disappeared into the hallway.

"You heard him." Adria said, ushering them all out to where he was waiting. Lupin let them into the locked staff lounge, where Professor Snape was sitting with a book.

"Ah, Professor Snape; we were just about to begin a lesson, would you like to stay?" Lupin asked.

"I think I would prefer to retire to my office," the Potions Master replied, standing and swirling out of the room in his dramatically long cloak.

"Now, what is in that cupboard?" he asked, pointing to a large wardrobe that was shaking against the wall.

"That's a boggart," a gangly black boy spoke up.

"Very good Dean. Now, can any of you tell me what a boggart looks like?"

Ron's friend Hermione's hand lifted quickly into the air. "Miss Granger."

"No one knows. A boggart manifests itself into whatever terrifies us the most."

"Bloody Hell, where'd she come from?" Ron asked. Adria turned; that girl hadn't been in the class before, had she?

"Excellent. Five points for Gryffindor." Lupin nodded, ignoring Ron's outburst. "Now, we're going to be eliminating the boggart from this wardrobe—" he gestured across the room to the gently rattling wardrobe. "And we are going to do this with a simple spell. Repeat after me: Ridikulus!"

Everyone chorused, "Ridikulus."

"Very good, now who would like to face the boggart first?" when no one volunteered, Lupin chose someone. "Neville, how about you?"

"M-me?" the boy asked, practically shivering with nerves. "I don't know…"

"You'll do fine Neville, now step forward. Hold out your wand, that's a boy. Now why don't you tell us what frightens you the most."

Neville mumbled something. "I'm sorry?" Lupin asked.

"P-Professor Snape." He repeated. There was a tittering of laughter then Lupin smiled kindly.

"Yes, well, he frightens all. Neville, am I to understand you live with your grandmother?"

"Yes."

"Can you picture her clothing for us?" Adria smiled at Professor Lupin's gentle manner. He really was setting the boy at ease; already Neville's tense shoulders were relaxing and he was standing a little straighter.

"…She carries a red handbag," Neville began, but Lupin stopped him.

"You don't need to tell us Neville. Just picture your grandmother's clothes when I open the cabinet. As long as you see it, we'll see it." With a final reassuring nod, he moved to the wardrobe and opened the door. Boggart Professor Snape stepped out, eyeing Neville suspiciously.

"Ridikulus!" Neville squeaked, wand pointed at the boggart.

The Snape- boggart had only taken a few steps before he stumbled and straightened up, now wearing an olive green suit, a fox stole, red handbag and a tall hat with a stuffed vulture on top. The class, including Adria and Lupin, broke into laughter.

"Now, who's next?" Lupin asked. Everyone clambered forward. "Form a line, form a line!" he cried. All the children took a turn, watching the boggart transform into their deepest fear, but after 'Ridikulus', they turned into something humorous. After a while, it was Harry Potter's turn. Lupin stood abruptly, stepping in front of the Boy Who Lived. The boggart turned into a large white circle, and Adria's suspicions were aroused.

"Ridikulus!" he said forcefully and the white sphere turned into a deflating balloon, spun a few times and disappeared. "That's enough for today everyone, go back to the classroom and collect your bags, I'll see you tomorrow."

The class clapped then filed out, chatting and laughing loudly. Adria looked over at Lupin, concentrating on the way he moved. He was a nice, gentle man, but his body was stiff and his movements controlled. He could only have been about thirty five, but he moved like he was more than twice that. After a few minutes he realized she was staring at him and looked up. "Can I help you?"

"No, no. I apologise for staring. I'll see you later, Professor Lupin."

Adria left the classroom quickly. A niggling voice in Lupin's mind told him that he smelled fear and surprise for a split second before she left, but he shook his head to dispel that thought. She was an intelligent girl, but to figure out the secret he spent his entire life trying to hide in under a minute? She'd have to either be a genius or a legilimens. Hoping the latter wasn't the case, he tried to concentrate on preparing for his next class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**PRISONER OF AZKABAN~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

Adria was ready for her first class, a mix of fourth year Ravenclaws and Slytherins. She stood at the front of the room as they filed in, trying to breathe normally to calm her nerves. When they quieted, she began in her smoothest, most confident voice.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to Muggle Studies. I am Professor Malus. By a show of hands, how many of you are Muggle-born, or have experience in the Muggle world?" Roughly a third of the class raised their hands, nearly all of them Ravenclaws. "Then some of the things I am going to show you in this class will not be a shock; for the rest of you, I hope to open your mind to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the non-magical races. What you must remember always in this class is that Muggle society has suffered war and death much the way we have, and they did not have the aid of spells and enchantments to protect them. They are nearly always vulnerable, and their ability to carry on in the face of that vulnerability is what makes them worth studying.

"This year, we are going to concentrate on Muggle media; expressly books, films, and art. There is a list of five books we will be reading and discussing in this class—" a collective groan went up. "But I have made sure they are all under three hundred pages for your convenience. We are going to look at progress in the face of adversity. First, I will be handing you out a copy of _Night_ by Eli Weisel. For those of you unfamiliar with Muggle history, you will be lacking the context to understand this novel. Therefore you will need to use the Muggle Studies section of the library. To understand this book, you must first understand the significance of the Holocaust. I will expect all of you to have at least started this book, as well as completed some background research by next class."

Adria began handing out the books. "These books are your responsibility, and I will expect them to be returned to be before you receive the next book we will read. And there had better not be any butterbeer or mutton staining the pages—I'm looking at you, food fighters." There was a small tittering of laughter. "All right. Now, we won't begin today; I'd like to give you some time to become well informed on the subject of the Holocaust before we commence with lectures. Please do something productive now that I am letting you out early." She smiled and dismissed them, sitting down at her desk to prepare for the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs.

**I know it ends a bit abruptly, but I needed it to so that I could move directly on to the end of the week. That one`ll be GOOD. Read and review!**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO: Rely a bit too heavily on alcohol and irony

**Hiya everyone, two days and two chapters! Look at that! There's only a bit more I've pre-written, so you might not get updates as often after this. Enjoy!**

After her first week of teaching, Adria received a call from one of her Muggle friends, Hadley Miller, who wanted to get together in Glasgow for a drink. He worked at the Scottish National Bank now, though they'd met in teacher's college. Since all of her friends were Muggles, they thought she was teaching at a very posh private school in the north of Scotland. She agreed to meet the group at a pub not far from their old campus, and on Friday night, she apparated to the alley next to Glasgow train station, and made her way to the pub.

"So how's this private school gig?" Hadley asked as he sipped at his pint of lager.

"It's good, I'm doing mostly history, and media representations." Adria replied.

"Hate the kids yet?" Amala Sunir asked, stealing one of Hadley's chilli fries.

"Oi! Bugger off." Hadley cried, as Amala's twin Amita stole another fry.

Adria smiled. "I don't hate them _all_," she demurred.

"Give it another week," Amita said.

Adria enjoyed spending time with her Muggle friends, but it was exhausting having to simplify her magical life to make it fit the Muggle standard of what was plausible.

"Any hot teachers?" Duncan Moynes asked with one brow raised. He was forever teasing her that she hadn't had a boyfriend since the two of them had briefly dated in their third year of school.

For some reason, Remus Lupin flashed through her head, but she quickly pushed him out of her brain; he was a nice man, but was older, scarred, and incredibly shy; it was difficult to get a read on him.

"Not really," she shook her head. "What else did you fancy doing tonight?"

"We were going to check out that new club down town, if you're up for it." Amita answered.

"New club?" Adria felt her dormant senses pushing to the fore; she could feel the blood rushing through the veins of everyone in the room, and the natural bloodlust of her vampire lineage made her pupils dilate. The flashing lights, deafening music, sweaty writhing bodies… it was the perfect environment for vampires. That was probably why so many of them made their living as owners of establishments that promote irresponsible behaviour. People get drunk, and they get stupid. And that's how they get bitten.

"It's called '_Darkness'_," Amala was telling her.

"I'm not really dressed for that," Adria looked down at herself; she was wearing one of the skirts she wore to work and a tank top with a cardigan.

"Nonsense, you look lovely." Hadley winked.

"Come on, let's goooo!" Amita begged, hanging on Duncan's arm.

"Ugh… okay," Duncan agreed. "But I'll need one more pint."

0oOo0

The building was almost vibrating with the pumping bass notes. _Darkness_ lived up to its name; all Adria could make out were the shapes of hundreds of bodies packed into the basement club, their sensual movements thrown into stark relief by the white strobe light above the dance floor.

The smell of the blood, sweat and sex proved a headier mixture than the alcohol, but she didn't argue when Hadley got five shots of whiskey and passed one to her.

"Cheers!" Duncan yelled as they clinked glasses and threw back the drinks. The drink burned down her throat and sent a radiating warmth outward from her stomach. Still buzzing from the three pints at the pub beforehand, Adria let her girlfriends pull her out for a dance.

She could feel the beat in her chest, and then her ears popped; she knew she'd have trouble hearing when they got out of here, but after Duncan pushed another shot at her through the throng of people, she forgot about leaving at all.

0oOo0

Adria was falling-down drunk; her head felt full from her popped ears and the alcohol. Duncan offered to get her to the train station. Since she was in no state to apparate, she agreed. Thankfully she always kept some Muggle money on her, so she could buy a ticket to Argyll, the nearest Muggle town to Hogsmeade. She could apparate from there, the shorter distance giving less of an opportunity for splinching.

"Thanks Dunc," she grinned, leaning against the ticket booth.

"Anytime, Addy. Hopefully see you for Halloween?"

"Always. Might be late this year, but I'll make it. Call me about costumes yeah?" She'd added a locator charm to her Muggle phone so it thought it was in Argyll, thereby allowing her to send and receive calls.

Duncan nodded as her train pulled up. He gave her a hug and helped her into her car, then swayed off home.

Adria did manage a splinch-free Apparation to Hogsmeade from Argyll, and began her walk home. Less than halfway there she decided to carry her heels and walk in the grass, trying to steady herself now that she didn't have a friend to help her walk. Getting into the castle was easy, but she soon found herself lazily riding the moving staircases with no idea of where she was going.

"Professor Malus." A sour voice called out to her from the landing above.

"Professor Snape," she answered perfunctorily. "Have you been out for a pint too?"

"Indeed not," the Potions Master snapped. "I suggest you get back to your rooms before the students start to wake."

"Is it that late already?" Adria looked out the window with the kind of child-like curiosity that only severe inebriation can cause. "Goodness, look at that. Well, you are absolutely right, Snofessor Pape, I will have to get to my office… Do you have any idea where it is?"

"I'll show you." Another voice offered. Remus Lupin stood a few steps below Adria.

"Out for a walk in the moonlight, Lupin?" Snape asked with a smirk.

"Insomnia, actually. Come, Professor Malus, I'll see you back to your room."

"Thank you," she said, and with as much dignity as a reigning monarch, turned her back on Snape and flounced back down the steps to Lupin.

Once they were at her office, Adria tossed her heels on the carpet and proceeded into her bedroom. Lupin stood in her office, perusing her books while she changed.

"You have quite a collection of Muggle literature." He observed.

"Yeah, I lived as a Muggle for a while." Adria said lazily as she pulled her nightgown on. Pulling her dressing gown around her tightly, she went back out to meet him.

"Really? That's very interesting." He said idly. "And you have quite the film collection. Another souvenir from your years as a Muggle?"

"Naturally," she said, shuffling unsteadily to lean against her desk. "Thank you, Professor Lupin, for your help."

"Of course. And please, call me Remus." He smiled kindly.

"Adria." She replied.

"I had best let you sleep. If you need one, I have hangover potions in my office."

Adria nodded sleepily and left to flop on top of her covers, not bothering to question why the introspective, shy professor would have a supply of hangover potion in his office.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3: Paint my face and pretend that I'm someone else

There was a slow knock on Lupin's office door the next morning. With a knowing smile, he opened the door to find Adria Malus leaning against the cold stone wall looking decidedly rumpled; she was barefoot in her silk robe from the night before, and judging from the black rimming her eyes, she was still wearing the previous night's makeup.

"Hello." He smirked.

Malus groaned. "Hangover potion."

"What do you say?" he teased her.

"Shut. The fuck. Up." She growled. With a laugh, he produced the small vial from his desk and gave it to her. "Bless you." She sighed, downing the foul-smelling thing in one gulp. Shuddering, she gave him a weak smile. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"What is a respectable Defence professor doing with hangover potions in his desk drawer?"

"What makes you think I'm respectable?" Remus took a mental double take. Was he _flirting_?

"I suppose I just assumed." She smiled at him, looking up from under her lashes. Remus felt some kind of…tingle in his brain, and he felt light headed at the sight of this girl, for that is how he had to think of her, flirting with him. It had been a long time, but he was fairly sure that's what was happening.

"It isn't very nice to judge someone you don't know." His voice lowered of its own accord.

"Am I wrong in my assumption?" she asked teasingly.

"I suppose you'll just have to get to know me better." Remus shrugged, sitting back behind his desk and leaning back in his chair.

"I suppose I will." She fished a small packet out of her pocket and held it up for him to inspect. "Do you mind if I smoke?"

"Not at all." He gestured around his office to show it was at her disposal.

She smiled, cracking a window and perching on the windowsill. "I don't usually do this," she explained. "But after a good party, or a stressful day, I just really need a fag."

"I've been known to enjoy one in times of stress." He shrugged in understanding. "What is a respectable Muggle Studies professor doing out getting pissed on a Friday night?"

"Suppose I'm not respectable either," she smiled tiredly. "Pact of silence?"

"Oh, absolutely; wouldn't do to have those rumors flying around the school." She chuckled. "What were you out doing anyway?"

"Just a night out with my Muggle friends."

"Very dedicated of a Muggle Studies Professor."

Adria snorted. "We met in university. It was supposed to be a quiet pint, but then Amala—she's one of my friends—insisted on exploring this club, and I—well, I suppose I was in the mood to indulge her. A decision I was questioning this morning."

"I'll bet. Never understood the draw of those clubs, to be honest."

"It's the atmosphere for me; I can be whoever I want, because it's too dark to make people out anyway. It's freeing."

"And loud," Remus muttered.

"You sound like someone's father," she laughed.

"I'm old enough to be." He agreed.

"But you're not, so you have no excuse to act like it. Unless you do have children?"

"No, no children."

"Didn't think so." Malus said, looking confident in her correct hypothesis.

"Oh?" Remus asked.

"You may be tired looking, but you're nowhere near _that_ tired looking."

He chuckled. An owl appeared beside her on the window sill, delivering his weekend _Prophet_. She untied it and scratched the brown owl under the chin before unrolling it. "Still nothing on Sirius Black." She sighed, passing him the paper.

Remus' stomach dropped, his good mood fading. _Sirius. _For the life, of him, he couldn't fathom why he would break out now. _After twelve years…_

"Yes," he nodded, scanning the front page. "He seems to have disappeared completely."

"No one disappears completely," she disagreed. "If he's still alive out there somewhere, he must have some sort of plan."

"I really don't think mass murderers plan very far ahead."

She tipped her head in acknowledgement. "Maybe someone is helping him."

"Perhaps." Though Remus couldn't imagine who that would be; he certainly wasn't, and everyone else he could think of was dead. But Adria was right; he had to have a reason besides freedom if he was able to stay undetected for so long. He shook himself out of his stupor when he realised she was asking him something. "What?"

"I was asking what you would do first if you had escaped from prison."

"Oh… I don't know… if it was Azkaban, I'd want to go to all of the places that had ever made me happy." _Hogwarts, my parents' home, James and Lily's…_

"I think that's very sensible. I probably would want that too, after an embarrassingly huge dinner, of course."

"Of course." He smiled wanly.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Hm? Oh, yes; just pondering what else I need to get done this week."

"Oh, Merlin, that reminds me; I have to mark papers before Tuesday!" Adria rested her head against the window and sighed loudly. "I'm already so behind…"

"Doesn't really seem worth it with the stack that accumulates, does it?" Remus smiled.

"It really doesn't. But I am the one who asked for it, so I suppose I should read what they have to say. Come get me if you get bored, Remus," with a wave, she gathered her cigarettes and padded out the door.

**Author's Note: I know this was kind of a filler chapter, but I'm going to go on with Muggle Studies in the next chapter, and do this thing with Grindylows, and then it's Halloween, so lots of good stuff coming up! Please read and review, it really means a lot to me in a fandom I love so dearly!**

**AN2: The song for this chapter is 'Stand Still, Look Pretty' by The Wreckers.**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4: We [Could] Be Falling in Love in the Middle of the Night

**Author's Note: Just a little thing really, but all the books in Muggle Studies are personal favourites of mine. Okay, carry on.**

Adria stood in front of her third year Gryffindors and Slytherins, one hand on a stack of books.

"I was very pleased with the work most of you put into your background research on The Holocaust," she began. "We'll be finished with this topic by Halloween, but before that we'll be skimming through one of the most well-known and widely respected volumes about life in nineteen forties Germany; _The Diary of Anne Frank._ Now, how many of you stumbled upon Miss Frank in your research?"

Adria did truly believe that all wizarding children should know about the best and the worst times of Muggle history; in her opinion, anybody who had to do the dishes by hand was worthy of respect. But lecturing on one of the most appalling tragedies in world history (Muggle or wizard) tended to deflate her.

Entering her office following her class, she flicked on the wireless and tuned it with her wand to a Muggle channel. Though the Wizarding Wireless was usually much more entertaining, she really wasn't in the mood for Celestina Warbeck today. The radio was playing 'oldies', which fortunately meant Janis Joplin. Adria hummed along under her breath, shucking off her robes and folding herself into the corner of her sofa.

She was marking. Again. Really, it was her fault for assigning her fourth years an explanatory essay on a piece of Muggle technology of their choosing. After the third explanation of the proper way to dial a telephone, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in," she called, stifling a yawn.

"Hi," a very tired Remus Lupin poked his head around the door.

"Oh, hi," she smiled.

"I was just checking to see if you intended to work through lunch."

"Have I ever worked through lunch?" she asked.

Remus chuckled. "When the choice was between food and grading? Never." Adria closed her office up and they walked down to lunch together. She found herself adjusting her pace to match the DADA professor, who was moving quite slowly.

"So how are your students shaping up? Did having Gilderoy Lockhart for a professor put them permanently behind?" she laughed.

"Not permanently, no; actually I'm expecting a very exciting delivery this week that should be an excellent teaching aid." He held the door to the Great Hall for her.

"Really? What might that be?"

"I've ordered a grindylow in to show the students." There was a tiny proud smile on his face.

"Really? That's neat. Have you got many other ideas for practical defence?"

The two of them sat down in the middle of the table, near Professor McGonagall. Remus began loading food onto his plate.

"Yes, actually, I was looking into getting a redcap and a hinkypunk for my final exam."

"You're planning finals already? Merlin, do you think everyone is starting now?" Adria whispered, looking nervously over at the Deputy Headmistress.

"I doubt it." Remus assured her. "I'm only thinking about it now because it takes time for the creatures to get here."

"Yes, of course," she nodded. "It does make me feel slightly remiss in my duties as a professor, though."

"If it makes you feel any better, I've got three stacks of papers I've yet to grade."

"It does, thanks… Interested in leaving any food for the rest of us, Lupin?" she teased as her friend bit into his third dinner roll.

"What? I skipped breakfast and I've been up since sunrise."

Adria shook her head fondly. "So where do you apply to get a hinkypunk, anyway?"

0oOo0

Remus didn't show up for meals or classes the rest of the week; the excuse filtering through the castle was that he was ill. Adria doubted the validity of that tale, since she'd seen him the day before. However… he'd been pale and a bit shaky the entire time she'd known him, so perhaps he had been coming down with something.

Professor Lupin stayed away for three days.

On Friday, after Adria had dismissed her sixth years, he met her at her office.

"Hello," he smiled. He still looked peaky, but stood a little straighter than he had before, and his movement looked less pained than it had a few days before.

"Hi; feeling better?"

"Much, thank you for asking. The Grindylow got here yesterday, and he's eaten through the food the handler sent with him already. I was wondering if you fancied a grub hunt."

"A _what_?"

"A hunt. For grubs. The Grindylow mostly eats fish and small sea creatures, and I happen to know a place by the lake where mussels and frogs are abundant."

Adria raised a brow. "And you want me to come and help catch these creatures."

"Well, only if you want," Remus shrugged. "I rather like doing it the Muggle way; more fun getting your hands dirty."

She laughed. "Um, all right. When should this hunt commence?"

"After dinner? Since there's a student curfew it's unlikely we'd be disturbed."

"Sure. Sounds... interesting."

0oOo0

That evening after dinner, Adria hurried upstairs and changed from her usual teaching wardrobe into a pair of blue jeans, her black sneakers and a black long sleeved shirt. She threw her hair up and left her room to meet Remus at his office.

He was waiting outside when she got there, holding a small glass tank under one arm.

"Ready?" he asked.

"As I'll ever be."

"It'll be fun, I promise."

They made their way through the castle in comfortable silence, slipping out the front doors into the grounds. The waning moon hung just above the treetops of the Forbidden Forest. As they walked, Adria spotted the spectre-like silhouette of a Dementor floating over the school wall. She shivered.

"Worried about the Dementors?" Remus asked.

"I don't like them."

"Neither do I." he fished a small bar of Honeydukes chocolate out of his pocket and handed it to her. "When one thinks of those things 'protecting' the school, it is perfectly acceptable to blame them for any type of ill feeling, and as a result eat enormous amounts of chocolate." He smiled kindly.

"Thank you."

They approached the lake, the black water barely rippling in the evening breeze. Remus set the tank down on the bank.

"So what are we doing?" she asked, kneeling on the bank next to him.

"We'll be looking through the shallows for mussels."

"Couldn't we just do this magiacally?"

"Where's your sense of fun, Malus? Everything's too easy when you do it with a wand. This demands some skill."

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of," Adria replied wryly, pushing her sleeves above her elbows and contemplating the dark black water. "So how do we do this?"

Remus took a tiny pair of Wellington boots from his pocket, and enlarged them so he could wear them. Then he rolled up his sleeves and waded out into the lake until the water lapped his calves. Slowly, he lowered his hands into the water, lightly disturbing the mud in the shallows.

"We go slowly along the bank, feeling for mussels or snails. When you find one, you bring it up," He raised his hands to reveal lake silt and a few snails in the shells. He dumped them into the tank and smirked at her. "And repeat."

"Right." Adria rolled her eyes at his cheek and knelt on the river bank. The first time their hands brushed under the water, their heads snapped up to look at each other, but after that they managed to avoid blushing like children.

After an hour their hands were numb and the terrarium had a few handfuls of mud and water, and about two dozen snails and mussels. They were also _very_ late for curfew.

"That's enough for today, I think," Lupin sighed. He pulled out his wand and summoned more Grindylow food into the tank, and smiled at Malus. "Perhaps we should save our lake-based excursions for daylight."

"Perhaps," she nodded sarcastically. She folded her hands under her armpits to warm them.

"Um… Professor Malus…" he asked nervously, trying to shift himself in the mud. "Could you perhaps help me out of here?"

"You're stuck?" she laughed.

"A bit," he admitted. "Can you help, please, and quit laughing at me?"

"Can I do both?" she chuckled, reaching for his hand. She tugged and pulled with both hands while Remus tried to move his feet. After a few moments, there was a great squelching sound, and Remus came quickly loose. He hopped through the shallows and flew onto the bank, knocking over Adria and landing on top of her.

"Oh, Professor, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's quite all right, Professor Lupin, really, it's all right." She cut him off. They both stopped talking abruptly, staring at each other. Adria wanted to look awkwardly away, but with him so close to her face, there was nowhere to turn. She watched his gaze drift to her lips.

"Professor Lupin? Professor Malus" another voice interrupted their silence. They both craned their necks to see Hagrid approaching them with a lantern. "Oh, s'cuse me, Professors, didn' mean to… interrupt."

"Oh, no, Hagrid, it's not like that," Lupin demurred, quickly rolling off his colleague and scrambling to his feet.

"No' my place, Professor," the keeper of keys shook his head. "But uhm… if ya don' mind me askin', why're you wearin' only one boot?"

The two of them looked down; sure enough, dew was slowly seeping into Lupin's thin brown sock. Adria reached for her wand, summoning the rogue boot, which was still stuck in the lake. It landed next to Remus' foot. Quick as he could, Remus removed the other boot and changed back into his regular shoes.

"It's late, you two shouldn' be out."

"Right you are, Hagrid," Malus nodded. "We'll go in now."

"Tha's prob'bly safest."

They wished Hagrid good night and headed back to the castle in silence.

Once they were climbing the stairs in the Entrance Hall, Lupin risked a look at his companion.

"I'm sorry. For-for falling…on you."

"No need to apologise, Remus," Adria smiled over at him. "It was an accident."

They reached the fork in the staircases where they would separate for the night. Lupin decided to take the leap and apologise for one more thing that was _not_ an accident.

"A-and the, uh, the other thing… once we were, you know… one the grass…"

She gave him a knowing smile. "I don't know what you're talking about; good night, Remus."

**Hope you enjoyed this little foray into the romance part of this fic—it'll be a little bit before we get anything other than UST out of those two, but don't lose faith!**

**The songs used for chapter titles:**

**Chapter 1: Birds of a Feather by The Civil Wars**

**Chapter 2: Aside by The Weakerthans**

**Chapter 3: Stand Still, Look Pretty by The Wreckers**

**Chapter 4: 'Fishing in the Dark' by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (slightly changed)**


End file.
